Was Agile project management a significant contributing factor in the problems experienced by the Universal Credit project
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BMAN70391 (Managing Projects) Essay Guidelines
Do:
?
Specifically answer the essay question.
?
Submit the essay using TurnItIn (see the link on the Blackboard pages).
?
Literature
o Provide a review of the literature that is relevant to the thesis of your essay (i.e.
to your argument), but when deciding how long to make this section, bear in
mind that the majority of marks will be assigned to your critical
analysis/conclusion(s) sections.
o Cite academic quality (academic books, peer reviewed journals) sources to
justify your arguments throughout the essay. The library provide a guide to
referencing, for anyone unfamiliar:
http://subjects.library.manchester.ac.uk/referencing/referencing-guide
o A bibliography ½ a page of A4 long would be a minimum number of academic
quality references expected. There is no upper limit to how many you can use.
You should use as many as you think are necessary in order to justify your
coherent argument.
?
Formatting
o Use the Harvard Style of referencing
http://subjects.library.manchester.ac.uk/referencing/referencing-harvard
o Write in a legible font, size 12, double line spaced.
?
Structure
o Build a clear and cohesive argument, starting with a clear introduction, building
your argument throughout the essay, and providing a clear conclusion.
o The use of section headings is optional – do whatever you think is suitable in
order to ensure that your argument is cohesive and logical to read.
BMAN70391 (Managing Projects) Essay Guidelines
Do not:
?
Simply re-write either the course core text book or any of the NAO reports in your own
words. We are looking for evidence of critical analysis ability.
?
Please do not submit a paper copy of the essay.
Optional
?
Review relevant journals (e.g. International Journal of Project Management, Journal of
Information Technology, etc). You may find other comparable case studies, e.g. that
used either the Agile project management approach, or the more traditional project
management approach, which you might be able to compare against the Universal
Credit case.
?
Computerweekly.com and ft.com contain many non-academic articles about Universal
Credit which may help give you ideas of specific elements of the project to analyse.
Bear in mind that both of these sources are biased though.
?
It would be OK to argue that the Agile approach was not a significant factor in Universal
Credit’s problems, as long as you justify adopting this position, and then argue (in an
academic style) what you believe the significant factors were.
BMAN 70391 Managing Projects
Assignment 2014-15
Read the National Audit Office Report on Universal Credit (available at nao.gov.uk and on
Blackboard). Answer the question “Was Agile project management a significant contributing factor
in the problems experienced by the Universal Credit project?” The question should be addressed by
way of a critical analysis of the progress of the project to date.
It is recommended that you do not address the commercial issues raised in the report as these have
not been covered in class.
Your assignment should be ~3000 words long, and should conclude with key recommendations that
you would make for the improvement of the management of the project.
The submission date is 17.00 on January 12th 2015.
Additional reading that is of relevance to the issues raised in the NAO report includes:
Special Issue of the Journal of Information Technology (2007, vol. 22) on the “UK National Health
Service’s National Programme for IT”.
McAvoy, J. and Butler, T. (2009) “The Role of Project Management in Ineffective Decision-making
with Agile Software Development Projects”. European Journal of Information Systems. 18,
372-383.
O’Leary, T. and Williams, T. (2013) “Managing the Social Trajectory: A Practice Perspective on Project
Management”. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 60, 566-580.
Search: Computerweekly.com for relevant articles.
Please note that you should follow carefully the instructions on referencing in the Programme
Handbook. In particular, please ensure that all quotations in the text are identified by double
inverted commas ( “xx”) and supported by the appropriate page reference. Otherwise there is a risk
that Turnitin will pick them up as plagiarism. Quotations of over 15 words should also be block
indented.
Example of longer quotation block indented:
To quote the Chair of the UK promoter company for the Channel Fixed Link talking about putting
together the deal in the mid-1980s:
“If I was to sum up the overriding ethos which governed the directors …it was the
unarticulated faith, difficult to define or explain, but an abiding faith that would get
there in the end”. (Henderson, 1987: 15)
Example of shorter quotation within the text:
Thus the project process is indeed a negotiated order in which “the bases of concerted action (social
order) must be reconstituted continually; or…worked at” (Strauss et al., 1971: 104), and routines
provide the raw material for this work in the context of governance and institutions.
Please use the “Submit Course Work” tab on the left hand side of the screen to start the submission
process. Do not leave submission to the last moment on the 12th as there is always a risk of technical
glitches.
Marking rubric.
Grade
90–
100%
MSc Operations Project and Supply Chain Management Marking Criteria
Distinction
Exceptional work that is nearly or wholly faultless relative to expectations at MSc
level. Demonstrates consistently that the candidate achieves all relevant intended
outcomes of the course unit. Also achieves the points under grade 70–79% below.
80–89%
Distinction
Work of excellent quality throughout, comprehensively demonstrating that the
candidate achieves all relevant intended learning outcomes of the course unit. Also
achieves the bulleted points under grade 70–79% below.
70–79%
Distinction
Excellent work, both thorough and focused, with critical depth and insight
appropriate to Masters level. Demonstrates that the candidate achieves relevant
intended learning outcomes of the course unit and the answer fits within a distinction
profile.
The student:
? evaluates concepts and assumptions critically and thoughtfully applies concepts
to problems
? demonstrates independent thinking and insight into theoretical issues
? shows evidence of extensive reading beyond the lecture notes and the ability to
synthesise and integrate the relevant literature
? writes well in good English and structures the response to provide a succinct,
coherent and logical answer to the question
? clearly presents solutions to calculative questions and demonstrates excellent
analytical skills and understanding
60–69%
Merit
Answers are competent and well presented, touching very good work at the top end
of the range. The work is critical and comprehensive and has a degree of depth and
imagination in presenting and considering the material, especially at the top end of
the marking range.
The student:
? integrates the concepts introduced and applies them to problems with some
evidence of critical analysis
? shows evidence of reading beyond lecture notes that is appropriately analysed
and evaluated
? provides clear and competent answers to the questions, written in good English
? clearly presents solutions to calculative questions and demonstrates very good
analytical skills and understanding
50–59%
Pass
This is the minimum performance required on an MSc programme. Answers provide a
competent discussion of relevant material and some evidence of critical and analytical
thought. They are well structured, well presented and demonstrate an awareness of
relevant literature, and offer appropriate evidence, arguments, and assertions by
reference to relevant literature/research.
The student:
? demonstrates a good understanding of the material
? shows a basic knowledge of relevant literature but draws mainly on lecture
material
? addresses the questions and demonstrates reasonable
? writing skills with some ability to structure the material logically
? provides solutions to calculative questions that demonstrate good analytical
skills
40–49%
Fail, compensatable at MSc level
Answers provide a competent discussion of relevant material, but are largely
descriptive and lack critical/analytical depth. Answers are well structured, well
presented and demonstrate an awareness of relevant literature.
The student’s answer:
? shows a basic understanding of concepts introduced but with limited ability to
apply these concepts
? largely reproduces lecture notes
? tends to miss the point of the question
? is written poorly, written in note form, lacks structure or is too short to properly
address the question
? provides solutions to calculative questions that demonstrate basic analytical
skills
30–39%
Fail, compensatable at Diploma level
Work shows some understanding of the main elements of the programme material
and some knowledge of the relevant literature. Shows very limited achievement of
the relevant intended learning outcomes of the course unit.
The student:
? has a weak understanding of fundamental concepts with no critical analysis
? produces answers that contain factual or conceptual inadequacies
? provides poorly written answers that fail to address the question, or answers
that are too brief to answer the question properly
? provides solutions to calculative questions that demonstrate inadequate
analytical skills
0-29%
Fail
Little relevant material presented. Unclear or unsubstantiated arguments with very
poor accuracy and understanding. Little evidence of achievement of the relevant
intended learning outcomes of the course unit.
Report
by the Comptroller
and Auditor General
Department for Work & Pensions
Universal Credit:
progress update
HC 786 SESSION 2014-15 26 NOVEMBER 2014
4 Key facts Universal Credit: progress update
Key facts
17,850
500,000 7m
claimants on Universal
Credit in October 2014
claimants planned to be
on Universal Credit by
April 2016
claimants planned to be
on Universal Credit by
December 2019
Operational roll-out of live service
April 2013
the Department starts taking new claims for single jobseekers
June 2014
the Department starts taking some new claims for job-seeking
couples, and singles who are also claiming housing benefits;
expanding to around 100 jobcentres by the end of 2014
November 2014
the Department starts taking some new claims for families
with children
February 2015
the Department starts to expand nationwide new claims for single
jobseekers, reaching all 700 jobcentre areas by March 2016
£267 million
net present value of the expanded national roll-out of simple cases
in 2015 and 2016 as estimated by the Department
£149 million
additional administrative cost to government of the expanded
national roll-out of simple cases in 2015 and 2016 as estimated
by the Department
Delivery of digital service
November 2015
the Department’s planned date for testing its digital service at scale
before nationwide adoption
May 2016
the Department’s planned start for rolling out its new digital
service to claimants nationwide; it expects no new claims to legacy
benefits by December 2017
December 2019
the Department’s planned date for completing the transfer of
93% of claimants on to Universal Credit
£20.7 billion
net present value of introducing Universal Credit in the Department’s
Autumn 2014 business case
Universal Credit: progress update Summary 5
Summary
1 The Department for Work & Pensions (the Department) is introducing Universal
Credit which will replace 6 means-tested benefits for working-age households. It expects
Universal Credit to encourage people to work through: better financial incentives; simpler
processes; and clearer job search requirements. Universal Credit is a highly ambitious
and challenging transformation programme.
2 The Department struggled with the early development of Universal Credit. In
February 2013, the Major Projects Authority expressed serious concerns in its project
assessment review, leading to a reset of the programme between February and
May 2013. In September 2013, we reported on the Department’s early progress in
implementing Universal Credit, including events leading up to the reset.1
3 Following the reset, the Department proposed a twin-track approach to delivering
Universal Credit by developing a strategic digital service while learning from further
roll-out of live service. A ministerial oversight group reviewed this in November 2013.
This approach aims to bring together the Department’s short-term operations and
planned new systems:
•
Live service. In April 2013, the Department started rolling out the Universal Credit
service to limited claimant types. This ‘live service’ uses IT assets developed by
suppliers largely before the reset in early 2013. The Department aims to use live
service to roll out Universal Credit and ‘test and learn’ about processes and policy.
•
Digital service. In parallel the Department is developing and testing a new ‘digital
service’ which it intends will eventually enhance the features and functionality of the
current live service operation. It is developing this service in-house using an agile
approach. It plans to start early tests of this service in November 2014.
1
Comptroller and Auditor General, Universal Credit: early progress, Session 2013-14, HC 621, National Audit Office,
September 2013.
6 Summary Universal Credit: progress update
Scope of our report
4 Reports in 2013 by the Committee of Public Accounts, Work and Pensions Select
Committee and National Audit Office all raised concerns about how the Department
managed the programme. In this report we update on the Department’s progress since
the reset in:
•
Developing realistic and agreed plans (Part One). In November 2013, the
Committee of Public Accounts recommended that the Department prepare realistic
plans for implementation.
•
Setting out a clear long-term operating model (Part Two). In response to concerns
from the Major Projects Authority and National Audit Office about the lack of a clear
model for Universal Credit, the Committee recommended the Department set out
its long-term strategy for services and IT development.
•
Designing short-term services to inform and prepare for full roll-out (Part Three).
The Committee recommended that the Department revise its pilot roll-out (called
pathfinder) to ensure it prepares for longer-term implementation and improvement
of services.
•
Improving programme management (Part Four). Based on evidence from the
National Audit Office and Major Projects Authority, the Committee recommended
that the Department improve its management and oversight of the programme,
its culture of ‘good news’ reporting, and control of suppliers.
Key findings
Developing plans
5 Following the reset the Department chose a twin-track approach which
costs more than waiting for digital, but which it plans will yield higher benefits and
reduce risks. Guiding principles behind this approach were the Department’s wish to
de-risk delivery by making progress on two fronts, rather than relying on just one option,
and learn how Universal Credit works in practice. The Department estimates that the
twin-track approach yields a higher net present value overall by bringing forward the
benefits of the programme (paragraphs 1.3 and 1.15 to 1.17).
Universal Credit: progress update Summary 7
6 The Department developed and refined its ‘test and learn’ approach while
continuing to expand live service. The Department expects this approach to help it
learn from the live running of Universal Credit, inform the development of the digital service
and achieve the societal and employment be
nefits of the policy as early as possible. From
June 2014, the Department started expanding live service across North West England,
and introduced claims for couples and tenants. It now plans to extend the roll-out to
all new claims from families in the North West from November 2014, and from single
jobseekers nationwide from February 2015. It expects that up to 500,000 people will
receive Universal Credit by April 2016 (paragraphs 1.3, 1.6 and 1.19).
7 The Department was slow to produce long-term plans for Universal Credit
and HM Treasury required the programme to produce more realistic plans before
approving the business case in September 2014. In early 2014, the Department
submitted a draft business case to HM Treasury, but this had little detail on plans
beyond 2014. Following the reset, HM Treasury continued to provide funding in small
increments. In early 2014, the Department needed to finalise the Universal Credit
target operating model; develop more realistic roll-out plans; and provide contingency
plans. Work on these is not yet complete but HM Revenue & Customs, local authority
representatives and the Major Projects Authority are now more positive about the
direction of travel. HM Treasury has approved the strategic outline business case, and
the Department has started the considerable work needed to develop a more detailed
business case (paragraphs 1.7 to 1.12).
8 The Department has reduced risks in its planned transfer of tax credit
claimants by extending the timetable by 2 years. It was becoming increasingly unlikely
that the Department could transfer over 1 million tax credit claimants on to Universal
Credit in April 2016 as planned without significant operational risks. The Department
has now introduced a 2 year extension for the transfer of the majority of tax credits
claimants to Universal Credit to 2019. It does not yet have plans to transfer the remaining
555,000 tax credit and Employment and Support Allowance claimants before the end
of 2019 (paragraphs 1.10 to 1.14).
9 The Department continues to expect significant employment and societal
benefits from Universal Credit. In its business case the Department estimated that
the net present value of Universal Credit was £20.7 billion. This includes higher earnings
for people as they move into employment and reduced spending on benefits. The
Department expects Universal Credit to help move 250,000 people into work. Impacts
are uncertain and 64% of benefits are due to distributional benefits which are weightings
applied to benefit transfers. The Department has a substantial programme of evaluation
to determine the societal benefits of Universal Credit (paragraphs 1.15 to 1.18).
8 Summary Universal Credit: progress update
Developing a long-term operating model
10 The Department continues to have ambitious plans for the Universal Credit
service and is developing its design for how Universal Credit will work. The
Department has developed a clearer target operating model, which sets out some of the
expectations for the service such as the proportion of claimants making and maintaining
claims online. The target operating model consists of several ‘layers’, recognising the
broader transformation of the Department, although this does mean that Universal Credit
can be defined very broadly to cover changes already in place for Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The Department still needs to set out its detailed plans for Universal Credit systems and
processes, and the interim stages it needs to reach over time. The programme board
recognises the need for these more specific milestones against which to plan and assess
progress (paragraphs 2.6 and 2.7).
11 The Department’s digital service has been delayed and is still in the very
early stages of development but is soon to be tested with all claimant types, even
the most complex. Recruitment and capacity problems have delayed the new digital
service by 6 months compared with plans at the start of 2014, and it has not yet reached
its planned staffing level. In September 2014, digital service passed its Digital by Default
Service Standard Alpha assessment, confirming that it had built a working prototype
ready to be tested with a limited group of end users. The Department is starting to test
aspects of its digital service from November 2014. The new digital service at this stage
depends heavily on manual intervention and will only handle a small number of claims
(paragraphs 2.15 to 2.20 and 3.10).
12 The Department faces a challenging timetable with just 18 months before
it plans to start to roll out its fully scalable digital service. The Department is due
to begin initial testing of the new service’s efficiency in spring or summer 2015, and
testing its scalability the following November. However, it has not set out how it will
coordinate its agile approach with delivering the other parts of the programme set out
in the target operating model. The Department is not yet able to start testing identity
assurance security systems critical to trials in 2015. These systems depend on the
successful development of the Government Digital Service’s new GOV.UK Verify
service (paragraphs 2.14, 2.21 and 2.22).
13 The Department expects significant savings from its digital service, but
does not yet have a contingency plan, should the digital service be delayed.
The Department expects the digital service to save money because it plans it to be
predominantly online, integrated and accurate. If the digital service is delayed by
6 months the net present value of the programme reduces by £2.3 billion due to lost
societal benefits. The Department does not yet have a plan should the digital service fail
and has not evaluated whether it could use live service systems instead. We estimate that
using live service systems rather than digital systems would cost £2.8 billion more in staff
costs. The Department says that it would not use live service systems at full scale without
substantial further investment and that it is already making improvements which would
bring down the cost of live service (paragraphs 2.10, 2.11 and 2.17).
Universal Credit: progress update Summary 9
Learning from the expansion of live service
14 The Department has a broad programme of learning from live service which
has led to improvements within Universal Credit and for the wider Department.
The Department has been working to resolve problems, improve business processes and
increase efficiency before expanding the nationwide roll-out. Where elements of Universal
Credit are working well the Department is using them more widely across its existing
benefits and activities. For example, following the early trials of the claimant commitment
in Universal Credit, the Department has now rolled out this approach in all jobcentres
nationally for new claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance (paragraphs 3.7 and 3.15).
15 The Department expects that expanding live service will increase costs but
also bring in significant wider benefits and reduce risks. The Department estimates
that the accelerated nationwide roll-out of simple claims will result in administrative costs
of £149 million. However, it believes it will generate a net present value of £267 million.
This is largely due to societal and distributional benefits from people earning more in
work. But these benefits are heavily reliant on a number of assumptions and the eventual
impact will be difficult to measure. It also expects the nationwide roll-out to reduce the
risks associated with introducing the digital solution (paragraphs 1.18 to 1.21).
16 The Department expects that the expansion of live service in 2015 will help it
develop operational capability ahead of introducing the digital service, but does not
see its main aim as enhancing learning. The Department plans to expand operational
roll-out for new single claimants to all 700 jobcentres and 10 service centres by April 2016.
By this time, the Department plans to have trained 10,000 staff and established working
relationships with local delivery partners in areas nationwide. The Department does not
see the primary purpose of the nationwide roll-out as improving its learning about the
impacts of Universal Credit. The roll-out will not allow the Department to understand
how Universal Credit will work for claimants with more challenging requirements, unless
an individual’s circumstances change. The Department has dealt with relatively low
volumes of complex cases to date (paragraphs 3.2 to 3.8 and 3.17).
17 The Department will need to carefully manage risks to the costs and quality
of the nationwide roll-out of live service. The Department has developed a challenging
schedule for nationwide roll-out. Based on its learning to date and limited available time
and resources, the Department has significantly reduced its training costs and the time
it allows staff to familiarise themselves with Universal Credit nationwide compared to
its North West plans. The nationwide roll-out will also rely on some expensive manual
processes. The Department has had problems with systems accuracy following an IT
release, and had to reintroduce manual checks of all payments until it resolved the issues.
It also introduced a new release management approach to maintain tighter control. The
Department has 3 further major IT releases planned for the coming year, which it intends
will increase automation in live service systems. If further problems occur, the Department
will need to control the pace of roll-out (paragraphs 3.16 to 3.22).
10 Summary Universal Credit: progress update
Managing the programme
18 The Department has continued to struggle to stabilise senior leadership roles
and responsibilities. Since the start of 2014, the senior responsible owner had been
working only one day a week due to ill health. In autumn 2014, the senior responsible owner
left the programme and programme director retired. The Department has taken some time
to stabilise its new governance arrangements but staff confidence in senior leadership and
programme culture have increased significantly. An internal audit report in September 2014
found that governance arrangements had become much clearer. In 2013, the Department
also appointed an independent chair of the programme board, who has provided some
continuity in oversight. However, the programme board has been hampered on occasion
by limited time and information (paragraphs 4.2 to 4.8).
19 The Department has taken a more active approach to managing suppliers
and establishing financial control within the programme. It has set up a new financial
control framework, guidance and training for staff. The Department has improved
processes for checking invoices and delegating authorities. In November 2014, internal
audit reported that a ‘Substantial Assurance’ rating was appropriate for the programme’s
finanacial management at this time. The Department plans to review financial controls
regularly as they are implemented in practice (paragraphs 4.12 and 4.13).
Conclusion on value for money
20 The Department set out to transform the benefits system with Universal Credit and
suffered early setbacks. Since the reset, it has reduced the delivery risks by extending
roll-out and choosing a more expensive twin-track approach to developing the service.
It believes the additional costs of this approach are justified because it expects Universal
Credit to achieve substantial benefits for society sooner and more safely. However, such
benefits do not mean that Universal Credit will be value for money regardless of how they
are implemented and the cost of doing so.
21 In principle, the Department’s approach should allow it to learn from experience,
improve the design and readiness of services and reduce risks. However, in our view the
Programme is at too early a stage to determine if the Department will achieve value for
money in its implementation of Universal Credit. Given the gradual progress of live service
roll-out to date and the early stage of digital service development, the Department has not
yet tested its new digital approach, or gone through the process of integrating this with live
service. We consider it important that the Department, having reset the programme on a
sounder basis at significant costs in terms of resource and elapsed time, confirms its plans
for delivering Universal Credit in terms of cost, time and functionality, against which it can
be held to account for the good use of public resources.
Universal Credit: progress update Summary 11
Recommendations
22 The Department has adopted a ‘test and learn’ approach under which it is
continuing to bring on new claims while developing its digital service. As it proceeds
with this approach the Department must:
a
b
c
Ensure it has a clear basis for making decisions across the strands of
the programme
•
The Department will need to develop a detailed service architecture
for Universal Credit that aligns with its work on the wider departmental
operating model.
•
In developing the service architecture it will need to learn from planned tests
and set out how it will handle complex issues such as family formation and
break-up, and in-work conditionality.
•
The Department will increasingly need to monitor progress and control
decisions against its service architecture, and establish strong governance
and decision-making across strands of the programme.
Develop specific milestones for both digital and live services before each
additional stage of roll-out
•
The Department should continue to develop and monitor operational criteria
for further live service expansion, including payment accuracy and backlogs
in nationwide operations.
•
It should also review progress in developing the digital service and include
this among the criteria for the timing and speed of expanding live service.
•
If there are actual or expected delays or limitations to the digital service the
Department should set out how it will adjust live service expansion to avoid
unnecessary costs or risks to services.
Set out more clearly how and at what point live service and other test
and learn activities will inform the development of Universal Credit
•
The Department should differentiate between its learning activities on the
basis of how service development would be affected, and at what point it
could make decisions on the basis of the learning.
•
Where decisions are likely to affect the design of services substantially in
the short term or be difficult to accommodate at a later point, the Department
should ensure it has appropriate flexibility in development.
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National Audit Office Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General Department for Work & Pensions U n Iversal Cred it: prog reSS u pdate Hc 786 SESSION 2014-15 26 NOVEMBER 2014
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Report
by the Comptroller
and Auditor General
Department for Work & Pensions
Universal Credit:
progress update
HC 786 SESSION 2014-15 26 NOVEMBER 2014
Our vision is to help the nation spend wisely.
Our public audit perspective helps Parliament hold
government to account and improve public services.
The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending for Parliament and is
independent of government. The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG),
Sir Amyas Morse KCB, is an Officer of the House of Commons and leads the
NAO, which employs some 820 employees. The C&AG certifies the accounts of
all government departments and many other public sector bodies. He has statutory
authority to examine and report to Parliament on whether departments and the
bodies they fund have used their resources efficiently, effectively, and with economy.
Our studies evaluate the value for money of public spending, nationally and locally.
Our recommendations and reports on good practice help government improve
public services, and our work led to audited savings of £1.1 billion in 2013.
Department for Work & Pensions
Universal Credit:
progress update
Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General
Ordered by the House of Commons
to be printed on 25 November 2014
This report has been prepared under Section 6 of the
National Audit Act 1983 for pr